Leidesdorff Village, by D&S Development, would be composed of 61 units of commercial… more

Dan Giffin | Studio Green Architecture

The city center in Folsom is poised to get the kind of high-density project often found in bigger cities, including both housing and retail in one package.

Leidesdorff Village, by D&S Development, would be composed of 61 units of commercial and residential space, and total more than 81,000 square feet close to both the city’s downtown and its light-rail station.

Leidesdorff Village, by D&S Development, would be composed of 61 units of commercial… more

Dan Giffin | Studio Green Architecture

In the first phase, the site would see two three-story residential buildings of 36 for-sale condos, each about 19,000 square feet; three one-story parking garages; and two single family homes of two stories. A second phase would add Sibley Corner, a mixed-use building of 38,745-square feet with 18 residential units for sale above four retail spaces that would total 2,500 square feet. At buildout, the project would be on 4.2 acres at 1108 Sutter St., big enough to also be accessed from Leidesdorff and Sibley streets.

City of Folsom senior planner Steve Banks said it’s an unusual project for the city, but one the city’s interested in seeing developed more often.

“I think there is desire by the city council for density near transit areas,” he said, adding another mixed-use project, the Granite Building, is planned to be built in the area. “This certainly fits that bill.”

This week, the Folsom City Council approved the project on a first read, with a secondary approval necessary for developers to proceed. Banks said the project is scheduled to be voted on again in August.

First proposed in 2010, Leidesdorff Village has gone through an extensive review process and ran into opposition from many neighbors who thought it was too dense for the neighborhood, which has mostly single-family homes.

Banks said many of those residents continued to voice their concern this week, though several people spoke in support as well.

If the project gets the required second vote of approval, it’s not clear how soon work would start, he said.

“Given how long it took them to get through this, I’d hope in a month or two they’d come back with construction documents for approval,” he said.

Ben van der Meer covers real estate, development, construction, water issues and the business of sports.